The Fallen Angel
by IKillButerflies
Summary: A tale of the timeless struggle between the driving forces in DOA. Its more than you think it is.
1. The Runaway Shinobi

As the sun slowly set into the distance and the sky turned from red to black, a lone shinobi lay silently in a tree, pondering her life and all that she has endured from her past decisions. She had run for so long and it seemed to her that she would have to run forever. For abandoning her tribe she would inevitably pay the price of death, and she had eluded her fate thus far. She stared off into the distance, enjoying the peaceful moments whenever they came, for there was little time to admire the glories of life when you are hunted constantly. Night set in slowly and the runaway decided to continue her journey to solace under the cover of darkness. Slinking down the trees to the darkened forest floor, she checked to make sure that she was ready to defend herself like so many times before. All the necessary equipment was in place, but most importantly was her Ninjato, the one weapon that had served her for so very long and had been the single thread that held her above oblivion far too often. With all that she needed in hand and sheath, she began to walk, aimlessly, for there was no place for this runaway to go, no safe-heaven from despair, no shelter that would truly protect her from fate. To play it by ear was the way of this loner's life, as it had always been since that fateful day when she doomed herself to running. She cocked her head, brushed her hair back, and gazed about the forest searching for anything that would give her a clue as to where she was to go next. A lone firefly flickered in the distance, signaling to the young girl to head deeper into the thick forest. Following this sign, she began to walk cautiously further into the foliage. A few rays of moonlight shone down through the canopy, illuminating scattered areas of the dead leaves that littered the cold, hard ground. These were the only places around her that were visible anymore, for a dark shroud had crept over the woodland, encompassing all that was around the lone figure. Listening to the song of the woods as she traversed the land, the ever vigilant kunoichi relaxed, truly relax for the first time in ages. She was at peace with the world, the music of the crickets calming her soul, a river off in the distance soothing her nerves and the wind rustling the leaves, putting her tense mind at ease. The Kunoichi continued to walk when she sensed something was out of place in the darkness. The female's heart began to race as a small shadow flew at her face and with a quick motion of her arm, the blade was unsheathed and sliced downward with a powerful blow. She glanced around in fear, but to no avail, as no definite forms could be made out in the black of night. Frantically she ran her eyes over every inch of the wooded area that she could see, hoping that she would find her next assassin before it was too late. Crouching in silence, clenching her blade, her heart pounding even harder with every chirp of the crickets, the warrior was not satisfied with what she found, or rather, could not find. With no signs of any being's presence other than her own and the few insects that littered the air, she stood up. When she reached for the object she had hit with her sword, she became overwhelmed with fear. It was no ordinary fear, but one that was all consuming and hit right at the root of all fears. It was the fear of one's own life about to end. The shinobi held the split object to the rays of the full moon that continued to pierce the upper layers of the trees. She was overcome with fear and realized it had come time to face her fate head on. She dropped both halves of the creature she had slain, and ran toward the river that babbled off in the distance. Her legs, weary from previous battles, could barely carry her, but she was driven by emotion. The kunoichi had struck down the calling sign of her demise, and now had no choice but to run for an opening, somewhere, anywhere that was out in the open where she stood a chance. The few rays of light had begun to disappear as clouds covered the sky above. The forest went silent as almost utter darkness set in. The only noise was the panting of a small girl and the slight sound of her footsteps as they caressed the dirt. The time of her fate was at hand, for she had been found in the one moment she let her guard down. The two halves of a purple butterfly that lay dead where it had been hit, that had been so ruthlessly killed out of sheer fear, signaled the battle about to begin. 


	2. The Fallen Angel

The lone shadow that ran through the forest froze when she heard a noise out in the distance. A laughter, piercing her soul, sending all her senses on alert. It was a laughter she knew all to well, for she had heard it once before. A shadow fell from above in front of her. Landing on its feet, it slowly raised its head, revealing a single eye that glowed with a demonic passion. The figure stood up to reveal the outline of a woman's body in the darkness.  
The figure spoke, "You have come so far you little runaway. There's nowhere else to go, your fleeing ends here."  
Out of breath and panting, she uttered sternly, "I will win this battle. He has not been able to defeat me yet, and you will not either"  
The clouds the blanketed the sky began to flicker bright shimmering lights from above. With every flash of lightning, the forest became day then promptly shifted back to the dead of night. The fearful shinobi could now see her assailant, the bandanna she wore around her head, the darkened purple bangs that covered the expression on her face, the blackened outfit she wore and that eye that shone with an unholy red glare. With each blast of light that came, the woman slowly approached and laughed even harder. "You think I'm doing this because I was told to. You are sadly mistaken, I have my own reasons for what will come."  
"If not for him, then why must we do this? I just don't understand why."  
The dark figure walked even closer, brushed her hair out of the way, revealing her other eye. It burned red and gold with hatred, just like the other that had first made her presence and intentions known to the kunoichi. Another flash from the sky allowed the tired girl see the stern expression on her opponent's face. "Don't play coy with me! I shall make you pay for your past transgressions. You will not be the only one to suffer for my pain, only the first."  
A look of terror swept over the young kunoichi's face as she realized the true goal of the woman who stood before her. She took stance and readied her Ninjato. She knew that not only was she fighting for her life, but the lives of the ones she loved, of her family. With a renewed strength of mind and body, she let go of her sword and beckoned her assailant to came forward. "I am sorry for what I will have to do to you."  
"Enough of this! You will fight for your life or die without honor!"  
With that utterance, the sky flashed bright and a deafening roar ripped through the air. Then, once again, the all consuming darkness surrounded both the warriors in a veil of black. When next the lightning struck only one figure could be seen, the other, vanished into the background of night and the rows of trees. With every blast of light from the sky, the kunoichi's eyes scanned the forest, hoping to gather any hint of her opponent's whereabouts. The next bolt that rained down revealed a female figure hurling herself feet-first at the unsuspecting kunoichi. At the last second, she dodged the oncoming onslaught, jumped onto the nearest tree and launched herself forward with stunning speed.   
Darkness again enveloped the woods and when next the sky shone with the resilience of lightning, the two ninjas stood, staring at each other face to face. Each was poised and ready to attack again.   
Darkness.   
A flash of light and punches were being blocked by the demonic woman in black.   
Darkness.   
Next light showed the little kunoichi leaping into to air and releasing a forceful kick that sent her opponent's body flailing backward into a tree.   
Darkness.  
One flash later and the kunoichi stood, breathing heavily from the strain, staring down at her opponent as she stood up from the blow. Raising her head, recovering from the pain, the dark figure looked into her targets eyes.   
Darkness. In an instant a loud howl was heard as the shadowy figure rushed towards her victim and grabbed her.   
Light. They struggled in a deadlock, fear of knowing this was the end for one of them crept over both of them.   
Darkness, but not totally, for the runaway shinobi had stared into her assailant's eyes and saw how they burned. They burnt with the crimson fury of a thousand suns, and in that instant of weakness she lost her nerve. Dressed in black and driven by pure hate, the demon woman was no longer in control of herself as she freed her right arm from the others' grip and pulled the poor girl close with it.   
Light.  
"You have run for so long, and that has been your downfall. You have never been my sister." With those words, the female Hajin Mon leader grabbed hold of the still sheathed Ninjato and pulled it toward her with such a force that it cut through both casing and flesh. A scream of agony was blocked out by the sounds of another bolt. Rain began to fall on both the victor and the fallen as she lay on the ground, gripping to the last bit of life she had left. "You stopped running a long time ago."  
"Please... let him live..... don't kill Ha...." Darkness.  
With that, the lone warrior, her eyes still burning with the fires of hatred, removed the blade from the deceased. The downpour washed the blood from the blade as she held it to her face. Covered in the crimson life-force of the defeated, the lone figure stood up once again, looked down at the beaten shinobi and muttered, "Your fight was in vain. You tried to save the one who would have killed you. He wanted you dead too, I just beat him to you. You sacrificed yourself in an attempt to stop me from getting to him. You knew all along though, didn't you? You helped this all come around. Now, I have no choice but to fix your mess. Farewell you runaway shinobi." With that, the rain soaked woman turned her back to the defeated and walked away knowing what she had to do next. Revenge had never felt so sweet, and she wanted more. A lone warrior on a crusade, she walked through the woods, rain pouring down, lightning shimmering through the sky, blood-soaked and weary the female leader of the Hajin Mon set out to avenge the rest of her past. 


	3. Rebirth

A storm loomed on the horizon, black and consuming all light from a rising moon. Distant sounds of thunder were barely audible. A slight flash of light streamed across the sky every once in a while, but it was all drowned out from the city lights. Normally a bustling city, teeming with life and people, the streets were now barren due to the commotion from above. The area had been barricaded by police with a multitude of police cars. Over the sounds of hundreds of sirens, the thunder was all but drowned out. Outside of the barricade a large crowd had formed to watch the drama in the heavens unfold. A hushed murmur was all the noise to overlookers gave out. The sight above maintained their entire attention. Police megaphones began yelling out to a figure on the roof, but its response was covered in a veil of shadows.  
Twenty stories up, a man stood, staring down at the abyss of lights and concrete. He held his chest tightly with his right arm, and let his head droop low. His mind absorbed the sounds of the world around him; the sounds of the sirens, the rumble and crackle of the bolts of lightning, the screaming of people yelling at him from below, the sound of his own heartbeat. As he stood on the edge, a new sound came upon him and he quickly opened his eyes. A strong breeze rushed across his body. It wasn't from the tempest that covered the horizon, but from a jet black helicopter that rose up from below the building itself. He turned around at this new noise, turned to give it a face, turned and ran. It was futile, he knew it was, but he still ran. He ran with all his might, pacing across the loose gravel of that rooftop, coming ever closer towards a small vent that would hide him from the chopper for the time being. There was nowhere to go, no hope of escape and he knew it. All he needed was time to think.  
Ducking behind the small vent and planting his back on the grate, still tightly gripping his chest, he held his head low and stared at the contents in his left hand. His breath remained heavy and short, yet he managed to release a sigh of desperation. Slowly sliding down into an sitting position, his mind became flooded, chaotic with an array of thoughts. It wandered from the pain he felt, to his posession, to his current position and back to his pain.  
A large flash lit up the sky as the helicopter turned on its spotlight and held it on the vent. It began to circle the building, still holding the light directly pointed at the figure trying to hide from the consequences of his decisions.  
In the brightness, the man could see himself clearly, could see what he held, could see what had happened. He lifted up his right hand and glared at the bright red blood dripping from it. Even through the warmth of his crimson life-force spilling onto his hand, it still had become cold and numb. The world blurred in his vision for an instant. As he peered downwards, he realized fully his fate. The red had flowed from his once white collar down to his black pants. Cold beads of sweat continuously dripped from his bangs and landed on his arms, washing away the streaks of dried and darkened red that had formed. His world blurred again as he felt himself become flushed. His arms began to tremble from weakness and fear. His focus shifted from his own wounds to a small object which he still clutched tightly in his other hand.  
Through the steady stream of the spotlight, the object was laid clear for him to see. He held a small computer chip, green with golden wires. A small LED light was attached to it and had been lit up since he had first recieved it. It had always troubled him how it was lit though, for the light had no apparent power source. It was barely a quarter the size of his palm and seemed like such an insignifigant thing. Certanly not worth all of this. The man closed his hand again, clenched his teeth at another surge of pain, letting out a horrendous wail.  
The chopper pilot stopped circling the building and turned the hovering machine to face the man directly, staring him down from inside his cockpit. He gave the signal to shine a second light directly into the man's eyes, inflicting more fear into the huddled mass of blood and flesh.  
The heat of the spotlights became unbearable. Even as he felt his body grow colder, the rage of the light lit a fire underneath skin. He could take it no longer. The man stood up, woozy and shaking. A rush of water drained from his hair at the sudden movement and ran more streaks through the dried blood, exposing his flushed and pale white skin. As his world became blurry again, he lifted up his shaking left arm, opened it and allowed its contents to drop to the rocky roof on which he stood.  
"It... it didn't have... to end like this..." With those words, the blood-soaked man closed his eyes, picked up his foot and brought it down upon the small chip. The light attached to it flickered and went out. With nothing left and his body growing even colder, he shuffled toward the chopper. His legs had begun to loose feeling causing his gait to become slow and choppy. From the center of the roof, he made his way towards the edge, slowly and once again holding his wounds tightly. His vision once again blurred, but this time it did not return. The sights of the roof became meshed with the backdrop of other office complexes, the flashing lights of the sirens and the giant spotlight glaring right onto him all became as one. The world that had once been bustling with sounds had now gone silent. The noise of the sirens was gone. The roar of the thunder were gone. The scream of the helicopter as it stayed suspended, motionless in midair, was now wholly drowned out by an overwhelming quiet.  
The streets below screamed with excitement as the figure re-emerged on the edge of the building once again. A small figure, consistent of nothing but a shadow that resembled a man, held his ground on the verge of that building.  
Almost ready to collapse, he had finally made his way to the edge. He once again stared down into the silent abyss, now just a mesh of bright lights and dark shadows. Reds and blues, yellows and neons, whites and blacks, all nothing more than blotches on a canvass now. He closed his eyes, took as deep a breath as he could and spread his arms. His entire body ran through a final cold shock as he could no longer feel his arms or legs. A final rush of water drained over his face and down his arms, carving another path of skin through the new blood, as he inhaled and brushed his drenched hair back. The wind was stronger this time, for it did not come from the helicopter. As it rasped his whole body, he thought back.  
He had done his job and his running was over. He no longer needed to fear the consequences, for they were upon him. He knew from his first day at this new experimental company that he would end up in a position like this. His boss said that it was his duty to protect this device until it was time or his own life was in danger. He mentioned how even though his last two experiments had failed, his first one hadn't just yet disappointed him. He wasn't even sure of what it had meant, but his could sense his own outcome. He had guarded that chip with his life, but now it was gone. Whatever his boss had in mind had been set into motion. Whatever new sick and twisted plan he had originally thought up had now begun. He knew this and did not want to see its outcome, whatever it may have been. Why his own company had put out a hit on him, he still didn't know, but it didn't matter now.  
From the streets below, screams of horror from hundreds of pedestrians behind the barricade were drowned out by a storm which had slowly made its way to the city. As the sky began to drizzle, the streets below were bustling with commotion from the night's events. The crowd teemed with curiosity and police now shifted their attention to keeping the masses of people from rioting. With the first blasts of thunder the helicopter turned its spotlight off and flew off into the darkness from whence it had come. It was no longer needed.  
Two hundred miles away, another man felt the effects of the events of that night. He felt it deep inside himself as it emerged out of the depths of his subconscious. It had unleashed something horrible inside him. A rage had been unleashed. A rage that had been planned three years ago. A rage purposefully instilled in him. A rage known to three people, two of whom still walked this world. 


End file.
